Roots of Empathy continues to build caring citizens in Rainbow Schools

Meet Emma, Kieran, Maggie, Ella, Alex, Michael, Nathan, Sophia…
These babies are teachers!

Roots of Empathy, a character development initiative delivered in partnership with Our Children, Our Future, continued to build caring citizens in Rainbow Schools. Expanded to 30 schools in 2008-2009, the program was delivered in Grade 4 classrooms in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin.

Each participating class adopted a baby who visited the classroom, along with his/her parent and a trained Roots of Empathy instructor, once a month for the entire school year. As the children observed the parent-infant interaction and followed the baby’s development, they learned how infants grow and develop.

“These babies are teachers,” said Rainbow District School Board Chair Judy Hunda. “When students develop empathy, they gain an appreciation of the uniqueness of each individual, their opinions, beliefs and contributions. They gain respect and other important values.”

During the school visits, a number of themes were explored including meet the baby, crying, caring and planning for baby, emotions, sleep, safety, communicating, who am I?, and good bye and good wishes. With each classroom visit, students learned empathetic responses to the baby’s temperament, facial cues and feelings.

Tyler Campbell, Executive Director of Our Children, Our Future and Vice-Chair of Rainbow District School Board, said Roots of Empathy is a powerful and poignant program.   “Our mission is to develop and promote innovative and sustainable community resources that nurture healthy children, healthy families and healthy communities,” he said. “The focus of Roots of Empathy in the long term is to build capacity for the next generation for caring and compassionate citizenship and parenting.”

The program is designed to foster the development of empathy; to develop emotional literacy; reduce levels of bullying, aggression and violence; increase knowledge of human development, learning, and infant safety; and prepare students for responsible citizenship and responsive parenting.

“Roots of Empathy reaches minds and touches hearts, the very foundation of everything that we do in Rainbow Schools,” said Jean Hanson, Director of Education for Rainbow District School Board.  “Roots of Empathy has proven to be an effective way of developing positive student behaviour. The program builds caring, peaceful, and civil societies through the development of empathy in children.”

She added: “Character development is an integral part of everyday learning and life in Rainbow Schools. All school initiatives are designed to enhance educational opportunities for students by setting high levels of student achievement, reducing gaps in student achievement and building increased confidence in publicly funded education.”

Parents expecting children in the next few months are invited to get involved in Roots of Empathy this fall. It’s important that babies be no more than three months when family visits begin in September. Students will watch the babies grow throughout the school year. For more information, parents can contact Empathy Co-ordinator Charlotte Miller at Our Children, Our Future at 677-0440, ext. 228.

Roots of Empathy reaches minds and touches hearts…

From Nicki Vincent, Grade 3/4 teacher, Wanup Public School

“I wasn’t sure what to expect before the program, but I quickly realized how my students can benefit.  Not only have they learned about the development of a child, but have also learned how to recognize and express their own feelings.  Students are interested and are especially excited with family visits.  Roots of Empathy is a beneficial program for young children.”
 

From parent Kelly McCauley and Baby Maggie McDonald,


Jessie Hamilton Public School

“The Roots of Empathy program was a fantastic experience for both my daughter Maggie and myself.  Maggie enjoyed the attention of the children tremendously and one of our favourite songs to sing at home is the welcome and goodbye song we learned through the program.  It was wonderful to see how excited the students were to see Maggie and the progress she made developmentally each month.  They were as proud of her as I was. Baby Maggie was not just my baby, but their baby too.”

From Anne Giffin, Roots of Empathy Instructor, C.C. McLean Public School

“This was my first year working with a Grade 3 class. In other years, my work has been with JK/SK and Grade 1. I was amazed at how quickly the Grade 3 students got it. By this age, they understand bullying and empathy, and realize that they have personal experience with both.
 
My favourite moment was watching a student who had no experience with babies at all. When the baby first came into the classroom, this little boy wouldn’t go near him.  Now he positions himself as close as he can get to the baby, sings the loudest when we sing songs, holds the baby’s foot and talks to him as though he were a friend. This student now tells me he knows a lot about babies now, and if I forget something, he is quick to remind me. He feels protective and proud that he has learned so much.”
 

From Antoinette Richer, Grade 4 Teacher, Cyril Varney Public School

“Roots of Empathy has been a gift that our class has had the luxury of sharing. The students were inspired to write, read and talk about child development, families, bullying and helping others. They shared personal experiences they may not have otherwise shared and learned from one another. As a teacher, it was fun watching the students’ eyes light up when Baby Kieran entered the room and see their heartfelt smiles when Kieran met the milestones.”

From Shelly Harrigan, Roots of Empathy Instructor, Valley View Public School

“As a Roots of Empathy instructor, I have come to believe that one of the most valuable aspects of the program is the way in which it reminds students of just how special they are. The strength of the bond that develops between the classroom baby and the students is formidable. They treasure the baby, the baby’s family and the time they get to spend with their ‘tiny teacher’. This provides them with a perfect opportunity to realize and be reminded of how they themselves are so important to their families, their schools, their communities and their world. The students are constantly comparing themselves and their families to the baby and his experiences and this reinforces their sense of self-worth.”

From Kari Gerhard, Grade 3/4 Teacher, Lansdowne Public School

“The insight and explicit learning that students have gained by watching baby Desi grow and change, and having the chance to talk about what they saw, has been incredible. It helps students to feel that being nice and thoughtful, empathetic and considerate is cool. Having Roots of Empathy has been an absolute pleasure. We certainly spend a lot of time talking about feelings in our class and in our school. Having another opportunity to do so, within such an engaging and meaningful context, really supports what we are doing.”

Parents Diana and Brent Fontaine, Adamsdale Public School

“Roots of Empathy teaches children valuable lessons around human development and emotional awareness. The difference from our first visit until now is impressive. Children have learned how difficult it can be to grow and learn and just how different people’s temperaments and personalities can be. The children are now able to identify small behavioural cues that help them determine our baby’s mood and needs. By becoming emotionally bonded with our baby, the children were able to get really involved in the program and it allowed them to relate the information they learned to real life.”

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705.674.3171, ext. 7217.